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The Taper Lane

This is the lane we all crave.
The work is done, the big meet's approaching.
Lot's more hanging out. You can get in late & out early.
Don't need to do much but what you do needs to be really great.
Mostly easy swimming. Some very fast swimming.
Broken races. 25's 50's 75's
Race rehearsals
Race pace
LOTS of rest.
you're gonna start feeling like super man or woman
Don't do stupid stuff.
Don't trust your taper, test your taper.
Do championship performance prep like Rich Abrahams
Big musclely sprint types tend to need more weeks than the skinny distancy divas

Re: The Taper Lane

I typically have a 3 week taper and the 2nd week is always lousy.I have cut down my work and I should have more energy,but my legs feel like lead , my workouts are poor and I feel more tired after an easy workout than after a hard one in mid-season.I don't know the physiology of this but it happens every time.Also I spend most of the taper worrying about getting sick.

Re: The Taper Lane

Originally Posted by Allen Stark

I typically have a 3 week taper and the 2nd week is always lousy.I have cut down my work and I should have more energy,but my legs feel like lead , my workouts are poor and I feel more tired after an easy workout than after a hard one in mid-season.I don't know the physiology of this but it happens every time.Also I spend most of the taper worrying about getting sick.

I always have a period of feeling awful, doubting everything, worrying about getting sick, about hurting myself (pulling muscle, etc.), and generally being a basket case. I'm much happier during regular training times but if you hit your taper right, you feel like a super hero, capable of anything.

Re: The Taper Lane

OK, taper experts, I can use some advice...

When should I quit weights to taper for Nationals? From what I have read, it looks like two weeks prior. Do you agree?

How about other dryland exercises and aerobic workouts (treadmill, etc.)? When I joined Masters in February, I was swimming every other day and hitting the gym on alternate days for 50 min. aerobic, followed by weights. The past two weeks I cut back on the gym and increased swimming to 5 days/wk. (I workout 7 days/wk, however, I one of those days is always lighter.)

Any advice on the dryland schedule? By the way, one thing I do EVERY day is stretch. I highly recommend the stretches written up in the Jan-Feb. 2010 issue of Swimmer Mag. I found the article in the back issues on the website and was happy I did! They have been great for improving my streamline in breaststroke and turns.

Re: The Taper Lane

Originally Posted by ElaineK

When should I quit weights to taper for Nationals?

i think a lot depends on age, type of lifting being done, and how much you are regularly lifting.

i normally drop weights the week of a big meet, but as far as 3-4 weeks out, i start to switch to lighter weights with fast reps (think explosiveness). i do a lot of box jumps and other exercises that work those fast twitch muscles.

Re: The Taper Lane

Originally Posted by ElaineK

OK, taper experts, I can use some advice...

When should I quit weights to taper for Nationals? From what I have read, it looks like two weeks prior. Do you agree?

How about other dryland exercises and aerobic workouts (treadmill, etc.)? When I joined Masters in February, I was swimming every other day and hitting the gym on alternate days for 50 min. aerobic, followed by weights. The past two weeks I cut back on the gym and increased swimming to 5 days/wk. (I workout 7 days/wk, however, I one of those days is always lighter.)

Any advice on the dryland schedule? By the way, one thing I do EVERY day is stretch. I highly recommend the stretches written up in the Jan-Feb. 2010 issue of Swimmer Mag. I found the article in the back issues on the website and was happy I did! They have been great for improving my streamline in breaststroke and turns.

Thanks for your help!

I would stop doing biking 2 weeks out. I would lift light weights, less reps the week before and then stop the week of. You can still do your core work - planks, situps, etc. Rest is important. Sprinters rest more, older folks rest more, distance folks rest less, younger folks rest less. Women tend to lift closer to the big meet than guys do. Do track how you feel so you can tinker with things for next time if you think you need to.

Re: The Taper Lane

Getting hydrated and making sure I eat well is the eay part. The HARD part is "sleep well". I make sure I'm in bed to get enough sleep and I even fall asleep fast enough. But, STAYING asleep is another issue. Then, once I wake up, getting BACK to sleep. Uggggghhhh! Mostly, it's not even a mental thing; it's physical/ medical issues that get in the way of good .

Re: The Taper Lane

Originally Posted by ande

Please share your Stupid Stuff stories

Last November I blew my taper by doing 2.5 hours of yard work the day before my taper meet. It was a good news-bad news type of thing. My wife and kids were happy that the yard was cleaned up (particularly the trampoline - the kids bounced for hours) but I had some random muscle soreness the next day and wasn't happy with my times. You'll notice that in [ame="http://forums.usms.org/showpost.php?p=209936&postcount=147"]this post[/ame] I now make sure to get yard work done well before the meet. Live and learn

Re: The Taper Lane

Ok, what's the advise for double tapers? I know everyone is different and no two tapers are alike but... What are some of the general recommendations for trying to taper for Nationals 5 weeks after a state meet taper?

Re: The Taper Lane

Anyone else in this lane?

I started my two-week taper for an upcoming triathlon this week. Only 3 swims this week. 2500 yards on Monday, 2000 yesterday. About 2000 planned for Friday. I'm starting to feel a little spastic. Reading the breaststroke and fly lanes is making me want to swim those strokes, but I shouldn't.

<twitch>

-"The consciousness of self is the greatest hindrance to the proper execution of all physical action." -- Bruce Lee

Re: The Taper Lane

Its been taper time for me! Since I'm not exactly doing a whole lot of massive yardage anymore there wasn't a huge taper in yardage possible for me.

Still I've tapered off about 40% of the yardage I was doing and changed over to high rest/high speed sets in the last week. This week its all easy warmup and then a 25 sprint or two and some work on quick flipturns then warmdown. Starting to feel pretty good and strong in the water for my focus meet this weekend.

I'm suspecting the taper effect won't be as effective as if I were doing longer workouts during the season but with the shave I'm hoping for at least a 3-5 tenth drop in the 50 free and at least 1 second in the 100 free.